Sen. Rand Paul captured the coveted straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference Saturday, as the Republican Party works to find a path forward. NBC’s Kristen Welker reports.

Politics

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>>>good evening. and you thought store christmas ads were appearing earlier and earlier each year. believe it or not, the first votes in the
2016presidential race
were cast today. unofficial, of course, but the jockeys among potential republican candidates is under way. today's
straw vote
, an early test of strength across a wide field took place at a conservative conference of republicans near washington where the
gop
has been licking its wounds of the
2012
election and wrestling with exactly how it will recast itself going forward. nbc's kristen welker is in washington tonight with late word of the results of today's
straw poll
, hello.

>> reporter: lester, good evening. here is the headline. senator rand paul of kentucky won with 25% of the vote, edging out senator
marco rubio
of florida who garnered 23%. then
rick santorum
in third place with 8%. followed by new jersey governor
chris christie
, who wasn't invited, he received 7%.
paul ryan
got 6%. all potential leaders in a
party
whose future remains unclear. senator rand paul of kentucky captured the coveted
straw poll
at the
conservative political action conference
today.

>>the last three republican nominees at some point have finished either first or second in the cpac
straw poll
so it does give you a sense of where the
party
is and where it might be going.

>>the
gop
of old has grown stale and moss-covered.

>> reporter: as the
party
works to find a path forward it was a candidate from the past who stepped back into the spotlight.

>>mr. president, we admit it. you won. accept it. now step away from the teleprompter and do your job.

>> reporter: sarah palin
serving up
red meat
to the
party
faithful. even taking a swipe at new york mayor
michael bloomberg
's decision to regulate soda.

>>our
big gulp
's safe.

>> reporter: a rousing response.

>>she's on fire.

>> reporter: but the former
vice presidential nominee
has been out of
political office
since
2009
. bringing into question palin's sway with the
party
and the
conservative movement
. among those trying to fill the leadership void,
tea party
favorite senator
ted cruz
who headlined the event this weekend.

>>do we surrender? or do we stand up now?

>> reporter: it was a three-day conference marked by the discordant voices of potential
2016
contenders.

>>the face of the
republican party
needs to be the face of every american and we need to be the
party
of inclusion and acceptance.

>>we don't need a new idea. there is an idea. the idea is called america. and it still works.

>>the new
gop
will need to embrace liberty in both the economic and the personal sphere.

>> reporter: party
insiders warn republicans need to find a clear direction and learn the lessons of last year's stinging presidential defeat.

>>it's up to us to make sure that we learn from our mistakes and my mistakes.

>>there was very little republican outreach, particularly to working-class voters. and to the hispanic community, which doomed the
party
at a national level.

>> reporter: now, the
party
will also have to wrestle with social issues like same-sex marriage. friday senator
rob portman
reversed course and said he supports same-sex marriage, after learning that his son is gay. according to the latest nbc news/"
wall street journal
" poll a majority of republicans are opposed to same-sex marriage, most democrats support it.